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temporal lobe

American  

noun

Anatomy, Zoology.
  1. the lateral lobe of each cerebral hemisphere, in front of the occipital lobe.


temporal lobe British  

noun

  1. the laterally protruding portion of each cerebral hemisphere, situated below the parietal lobe and associated with sound perception and interpretation: it is thought to be the centre for memory recall

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

temporal lobe Scientific  
  1. The lobe of each cerebral hemisphere lying to the side and rear of the frontal lobe. The temporal lobe controls hearing and some aspects of language perception, emotion, and memory.


Etymology

Origin of temporal lobe

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Somebody who was managing this temporal lobe epilepsy, but also somebody who works in humanitarian aid field in this moment of unprecedented attacks against our aid workers.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 8, 2026

Dr. Flaherty provocatively suggests that Van Gogh suffered from temporal lobe epilepsy and that his condition may have played an important role in his achievements.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 3, 2026

And in the Simpsons neuron case, for example, it was just a subset of neurons in the medial temporal lobe that behaved with extreme specificity to enable patients to quickly grasp the relevant concept.

From Salon Apr. 25, 2025

Riddled by seizures, he was referred to a surgeon, who localized the epilepsy to the temporal lobe inside his brain, home of the hippocampus.

From Science Daily Nov. 20, 2024

Soon after, Carl Wernicke found another area on the left temporal lobe that controlled the ability to understand speech.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

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